A protest held in Kalaburagi on Tuesday under the leadership of the district committee of the Buddhist Upasaka and Upasakiyara Sangha.
Credit: DH Photo
Kalaburagi: A protest march was held in the City on Tuesday under the leadership of the district committee of the Buddhist Upasaka and Upasakiyara Sangha, demanding that the entire responsibility of the administration of the Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi Mahavihara be entrusted to the Buddhists.
The march, which started from Jagat Circle here reached the deputy commissioner’s office. The protest was in support of the liberation movement of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara in Bodh Gaya demanding the repeal of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act (BTA), 1949.
The Buddhist followers marched holding placards saying ‘Bodh Gaya Mahavihara is our property’, ‘Their respective religious centres are the property of those religions’, ‘Implement Articles 13, 25, 29 of the Constitution’. They raised these slogans along the way.
Speaking in front of the deputy commissioner’s office, Buddhist monks Varajyoti Bhanteji, Bikkuni Sumanti, Dhammananda Bhanteji, Devendra Hegde and others said, “After independence, the Bihar government enacted the Bodh Gaya Temple Act 1949 and formed a committee including four Buddhists and four Hindus, meting out injustice to Buddhist monks.”
“According to the Constitution, the administration of all religious centres including Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus is carried out by people of their respective religions. However, Brahmins are administering the Buddhist religious centre,” they expressed ire.
“The President and the central government should immediately intervene and repeal the Bodh Gaya Temple Act 1949. The administration of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara in Buddha Gaya should be entrusted to Buddhists, excluding those who do not belong to Buddhism,” they demanded. They condemned the atrocities on Buddhist monks who were protesting in front of the Mahavihara in Bihar.
Dhammananda Mahathero, Bhante Gyansagar, Sangarakita, Dhammakirti, Dhammadeepa, devotees Suryakanta Nimbalkar, Vitthal Doddamani, Mareppa Halli, Suresh Kanekar, Arjun Bhadre, Hanamanta Bodhankar, Jayabharat Kambale, Hanamanta Yelasangi, Santosh Melimani, Basavaraja Bennur, Dinesh Doddamani, Devindra Sinnur, Ambaraya Ashtagi, Pavankumar Valakeri, Ganesh Valakeri, Ashwin Sanka and others participated in the protest.